“西语中译”的阅读与诠释——翻译语言的语言性、解释性与政治性

The Reading and Interpretation of “Chinese Translation of Western Literature”:——The Linguistic, Interpretative and Political Nature of the Target Language

一百多年来,中国人翻译西方的经典文献,在概念的移译上,多少潜移默化地在其“解释性”中接受其“政治性”影响。当然,翻译的“解释性”并不直接等于“政治性”,关键在于翻译所奠基的“理解—解释”之根据是“真实”,还是“真理”?而“真理”自身带有的“权力性”自然会向“政治性”转化。这只是一个总的区分,其强弱程度还要依赖许多中间环节——其中主要是推动词语选择的历史契机与精神倾向。这里简化为:在“解释性”中只限于谈“真实”与“真理”;在“政治性”中只限于谈“差异”与“选择”。而总的倾向是要归属于语言的“语言性”中聆听“道说”对意识形态化了的“诸神”或“真理”之审视与限制。

For over a hundred years, as for the Chinese translation of the concepts in Western classics, the ＂political nature＂ has more or less exerted an imperceptible influence on the ＂interpretative nature. ＂ Of course, the ＂interpretative nature＂ of translation is not directly equal to the ＂political nature＂. What is at stake lies in the following： Is the foundation of ＂Understanding- Interpretation＂, on which the translation is based, a kind of ＂＇reality＂ or ＂truth＂？ The ＂power＂ possessed by the ＂truth＂ itself will make a natural transformation into its ＂political nature＂. This is only a general differentiation, which still depends on quite a few intermediate links, among which the historical moment and spiritual tendency that motivate the choice of words are the central ones. It is here simplified as： The discussion is only confined to ＂reality＂ and ＂truth＂ in the＂interpretative nature＂ but to ＂difference＂ and ＂choice＂ in ＂political nature. ＂